HBO’s ‘Ballers’ is bad TV but also a guilty pleasure

Here’s a fun fact for your holiday weekend: Would you believe that Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she is a fan of the HBO comedy “Ballers’’?

She revealed this earlier this year in her book This Fight Is Our Fight, claiming she and her husband binge-watched the show on Election Night, which really seems unbelievable.

Anyway, I first heard about her interest in the show watching Samantha Bee’s “Full Frontal’’ on TBS last week.

The senator said, “It’s actually a story about hard work, a story about perseverance.’’

That’s news to me.

I thought it was a spoof about the NFL lifestyle with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson portraying a former player turned agent. It includes much partying.

It is not the kind of show you would expect Warren to like because, as Slate pointed out, it includes a lot of stereotypes of women, including a “nagging wife, vindictive mistress and stalker groupie.’’

Maybe it’s a guilty pleasure for Warren.

Johnson and Warren have since tweeted each other about the series, and Rob Corddry, who plays Johnson’s sidekick on the show, appeared on the Samantha Bee show along with a cutout of Johnson.

The show is popular with viewers but hasn’t exactly gotten good reviews.

A writer for Barstool Sports called it “one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. … Seriously, it’s terrible.’’

But, he added, “It kind of sucks. I like it.’’

It can be fun to watch as mindless entertainment, though it’s not exactly “Downtown Abbey.’’

The third season starts July 23, and it’ll be interesting to see how many seasons it lasts.

It brings back memories of “Playmakers,’’ which aired for 11 episodes on ESPN in 2003. It was a much more downbeat look at the NFL, and the league (successfully) put pressure on the network to end the series.

The league hasn’t had public complaints about “Ballers.’’ The show has even had some active players make appearances.

Maybe the NFL has been silent because the show’s a comedy. Or, more likely, because the league has no leverage with HBO.